


Excess Enchantment

by lesboinspace



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, ash refuses to take his shit, ash thinks he's freaking BEAUTIFUL, club, eiji tries dancing, let the boys have FUN for once, shorter can't keep his mouth shut, shorter can't stand them, shy gay bois asdfghj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-08-11 10:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16474133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesboinspace/pseuds/lesboinspace
Summary: As the group arrives in LA, Shorter decides for himself and the other two teens of the group that they need a break to act their own age, and party at an underground club.  Ash can only stare breathlessly as Eiji moves along the dance floor, in awe of his subtle grace, while Shorter snickers about how obviously in love they are.





	Excess Enchantment

**Author's Note:**

> This my full piece for the Banana Fish Wishes zine!  
> I'm also on Tumblr with the same username c:  
> Since the zines have finally been shipped out, I can post this~

From the moment Ash met Eiji, something in him seemed to shift. Outside of his role as a leader, Ash didn’t really care what others thought of him. He never had. But, ever since Eiji entered his life, not only had someone else’s opinion of him begun to matter, but Ash suddenly wanted to matter to somebody, to Eiji, as if the Japanese teen were some deity, an overseer whose fingers dropped the dice that determined all future possibilities. Ash’s family and many of his friends were gone, but Eiji reawakened a piece of his soul that had long been forgotten. Ash genuinely cared about Eiji’s perception of himーhe did right away. It hadn’t taken long for a newfound desire to grow inside of him: Ash wished to be everything to Eiji. He latched onto the idea of Eiji valuing him, admiring and holding him in the highest regard in his heart, subsequently purifying him. Through the horrors he continued to face along this pathway carved by Lucifer, that idea helped Ash’s heart fend off further darkness.

 

Arms crossed and back straight, Ash grows tense as Eiji swings his hips to the electric beat pounding throughout the refurbished warehouse, music echoing along the walls and ceiling. While everyone else loses their minds to the dizzying rush of the rhythm, the ever self-conscious Eiji merely sways. It's just enough movement to be considered dancing, an invisible string guiding Eiji’s waist along the edge of the recently-tiled space. Ash presses his shoes into the barstool. What enchants Ash so much isn't how subtle, delicate, and beautiful Eiji is as he twists on the makeshift dance floor. No, his thin physique isn't what Ash is marvelling at. It's what Ash can see underneath each gentle, wary step. Ash focuses instead on the nervous smile tugging at Eiji's lips, how his hands clench and release as he attempts to let loose like everyone around him. The soul inside Eiji conveys a symphony of raw emotions behind his bashful effort. No one can deny how gorgeous he is. Without knowing him well, one could describe Eiji as simple, but they would be intolerably wrong. Tonight is a perfect rebuttal to such an assumption.

Despite splurging on bright, eccentric clothes to fit in, Eiji stands out amongst the frenzied, energetic crowd in his lack of chaos. It only makes Eiji all the more radiant, his clear tenacity and willingness to try shining through him. Eiji dares to lower his eyelids and nod his head from side to side, visibly relaxing more and dipping deeper into the tune’s spell. Arms uncoiling from around his shoulders, Eiji lowers one hand to bounce on his thigh. The other reaches into his hair, threading dark bangs across his forehead. 

Another seems to notice the attractive Japanese cat lingering by himself and inches closer. The man thrusts his hips, pressing towards the oblivious Eiji. Left eye twitching, Ash pushes himself up and paces with predatory precision towards him. It only takes Ash’s glare and a finger on the redhead's shoulder for him to back off. Shorter snorts at the display as his friend emerges from the heart of the raging, sweat-soaked storm. Ash plops down with a sigh, glancing back at Eiji, whose eyes are still comfortably closed. 

“You’re the scariest bodyguard I’ve ever seen. If you're so set on keeping others away, why don't you just dance with him? Man, the way you’re growling at others to back off, it'd make sense for you to hurry up and mark your territory.”

In one silent, fluid motion, Ash uncrosses his legs to kick Shorter’s shin, perfectly summing up his feelings about being compared to a horny, pissing dog. A sharp gasp slips out of Shorter from the unkind blow. He snickers to play off the pain, reaching down to rub at his throbbing skin.

“I-I'm only kidding, you know that! For real, why won't you go over there? Are you worried that Eiji might reject you or something? I know you don’t want to be dissed on prom night, son, but if you just man up already and ask him, I’m sure he’d love to.”

Ash pierces Shorter with a heated stare and raises his foot in preparation for another strike. The intended target scurries back, but falls off of the stool in his panic. Despite his irritation, Ash snorts at the scene. Laughter soon tumbles out of him, and Shorter instantly chuckles along with him. It feels like it’s been too long since Ash has looked his age. Shorter worries about the consequences of Ash’s grim outlook on life, given his friend’s past and current position as a gang leader. He feels helpless to change Ash’s perception to this precarious situation. Well, besides offering Ash a mental reprieve by being an overall idiot and landing on his ass. Then, there’s Eiji. At least he doesn’t have to be reduced to a clown for Ash to smile. After several moments, Ash becomes quiet, his gaze becoming distant as it falls to the floor.

“I’ve put Eiji through so much. He deserves a break from all the madness, he’s just a normal guy. I’ll keep him safe no matter what comes next, but I worry that I’m monopolizing him. He’s naive and inexperienced, but that doesn’t give me the right to control him.”

Ash’s eyes flick toward Eiji, whose movements are almost completely carefree, before lowering them again, a guilty expression flashing across his face. To Shorter, Ash looks like a tense adolescent peeping at his undressing seniors through a convenient hole in the wall. How did Shorter get stuck with these oblivious children again?

“He looks happy, doesn’t he? That at least means it was a good idea to come here. And he’d be even happier if you were by his side.” The words exit Shorter’s mouth without hesitation, causing Ash to turn towards him in surprise.

“Jeez, I never thought I’d be giving you this kind of talk. You act like he has no choice but to be with us, but he has a mind of his own. It’s not like you’re holding him hostage, and yeah, he still has a lot to learn, but despite everything that he’s seen so far, Eiji has stuck by you. He’s just as infatuated with you as you are with himー it’s obvious. Can't you stop torturing yourself for two minutes and go have some fun already, you angsty brat?”

Shorter’s entire spiel is full of exasperation and humor, leaving Ash even more stunned. Sensing Ash’s internal malfunction, the Chinese boss points at Eiji while staring down his fellow gang leader, dictating what Ash is meant to do next. He seems more like a stern father than a friend, and Ash would’ve made a snide comment about acting like an old fart, if said old fart’s words weren’t echoing in his ears. Accepting defeat, Ash releases an exaggerated huff before standing up. As he walks out to the dancefloor, Ash glances back at Shorter, who continues to point straight at his objective, Eiji. Shorter really is treating Ash like a disobedient dog tonight. 

With Eiji so engrossed with the music, Ash doesn't even have to sneak up on him. He merely strides towards him and knocks his hip into Eiji, whose trance is broken. Confusion dusts over Eiji’s heated cheeks, though it quickly dissipates at the sight of his companion. The ecstatic grin Ash is greeted with puts the strobe lights to shame. They hold eye contact as Eiji matches Ash’s more energetic pace. For some time, the pair enjoys a comfortable silence, moving in sync.

“I could watch you dance forever.”

The statement exits Ash's lips soon as the thought comes to him. If he’d waited any longer, the statement would’ve suffocated him. Eiji’s already flushed face erupts with color. His dancing falters for a second, body slowing to process what was just said to him.

“How do you manage to say such embarrassing things with a straight face?”

“Because it's you.”

Those three words, despite their simplicity, confirm and convey scarcely-veiled emotions that have been lingering within the unspoken connection between them since their first encounter. Fingers interlocking and foreheads coming together on their own, Ash and Eiji fall into each other's pace until they become a single swaying entity. The two never lose the other’s gaze for the rest of their time on the dancefloor, both wishing that they could occupy the same space for eternity.


End file.
